McCain to Speak at Texas Tech Graduate School Commencement

Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain will speak at Texas Tech University's Graduate School commencement ceremony at 4 p.m. Dec. 12 at the United Spirit Arena, 1701 Indiana Ave.  Kent Hance, chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, will speak at the two undergraduate commencement ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Dec. 13, also at the United Spirit Arena. Texas Tech will graduate 2,504 students in the fall ceremonies.  "We are honored to have Senator McCain speaking at our Graduate School commencement. He is a true American hero who continues to serve his country and I know he will inspire our graduates to strive for success in their professional and personal lives," Hance said.  The morning ceremony will include the Colleges of Human Sciences, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Visual and Performing Arts, Mass Communications and the Rawls College of Business.  The afternoon ceremony will include the Colleges of Education, Architecture, Arts and Sciences and the Whitacre College of Engineering.  A hooding ceremony for graduates of Texas Tech's School of Law will be at 5 p.m., Dec. 13 in Allen Theatre of the Student Union Building.  McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election. He is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.  Hance became the third chancellor of the Texas Tech University System on Dec. 1, 2006. Before coming to Texas Tech, Hance was a partner in Hance Scarborough Wright, an Austin and Dallas law firm. His political career began in 1974 when he won a seat in the Texas State Senate. Four years later, he won election to the 19^th Congressional District. After Congress, Hance won election to the Texas Railroad Commission. He earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Texas Tech in 1965 and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1968. He returned to Lubbock to practice law and teach business law at Texas Tech. In 1973, he was named an outstanding professor at Texas Tech.